Until just recently, if you wanted good ramen in Kuwait you were basically out of luck. There weren’t many places that had ramen and the places that did usually had a pretty average bowl. But, last week a new ramen place opened up in Kuwait called Tampopo and it’s great!
The chef behind Tampopo is Maryam Alnusif (or Mimi), many of you might have heard of her since she is behind Shakshooka and The Secret Garden project. Tampopo is actually right next to the Secret Garden, it’s a small place with a main seating area composed of a bar running along the kitchen counter, as well as a bar facing the opposite wall and another bar stretching across the main storefront window. The menu is extremely simple with just three ramen dishes to choose from: Chicken, duck and vegan ramen. They also have a few cocktails and surprisingly, really great tasting non-alcholic Japanese Asahi beer.
I was there with some friends and so we ordered one of everything. My favorite ramen bowl was the vegan one followed by the duck and then the chicken. Because we got there early at around 6:30PM, we managed to find seating, but by the time we were done with our bowls, the place was already packed with people waiting to be seated. I loved the food, the atmosphere and all the people behind Tampopo so I’m definitely going back again this week. Plus its walking distance from my home which is pretty convenient.
Because Tampopo is still in a soft launch phase, they’re only open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 6PM to 10PM. But, starting next week they might start opening on Mondays as well. They also right now only accept cash but should start accepting knet next week. For a map of the location and to stay up to date on their store timings, check out their instagram page @tampopo.ramenshop
53 replies on “Tampopo Ramen Shop”
I was waiting for your review of this joint. It’s so good!
Their vegan ramen is TDF.
After visiting Japan and having my dose of Ramen I will have high expectations!
any idea from where to get Super Dry Asahi locally ?
Maybe Sangreia?
I tried it last week and i am sorry it was horrible and its one of the bad dishes that i had tried in a long time maybe if you love the ramen flavour then maybe you will like it but for me its not
haha 😉
Well it’s a ramen bowl so you obviously have to like ramen to like it 🧐
your point being?
Seems expensive for a bowl of ramen :/
Well it’s Kuwait so unfortunately the crowds won’t come in if you prices are on the cheaper side.
well, each bowl needs a 72 hour prep with the best ingredients found in Kuwait, so 5.750 doesn’t seem so expensive I’d think.
5kd for a bowl of soup is ridiculous tbh.. unless its made with bits of gold or something. I personally probably won’t go there just because of how expensive it is. When you go to asia, a proper bowl of delicious ramen would cost you around 1kd. For 5kd you can get a main dish at cheesecake factory, and that stuff is expensive af.
The max i would pay for a bowl of ramen is 2.5kd in kuwait. Not more.
5kd for one dish at cheesecake factory?? thats expensive af, for 5kd you can get 10 cheeseburgers at mcdonalds!
Lmao I remember when you used to blog and review Hardee’s. You came a long way.
And shawermas!
Or 20 double Kebabs at Mahmoud’s
or 50 falafel sandwiches!
maybe 250 sambosas ?
did you ever go and see the prices of the ingredients she uses? In Japan it’s cheap because the source locally, in Kuwait its imported so the prices are much more expensive. You can’t compare.
hey mark. there is a glitch on the site. i clicked on your name by mistake next to the “post by” and thought of looking at the earliest post there was while i was at it. anyways, if you scroll to the bottom and click on any number, the next page will show you an article that has that number in the beginning of the title. for example, page 10 will show you “10 Commandments of the Mafia”
thanks, i’m aware of that and have no idea how to fix it. on the other hand you reminded me i need to follow up and see the progress on the blogs redesign
my homemade ramen costs fraction of this
https://www.sultan-center.com/indomie-vegetable-flavoured-instant-cup-noodles-60g.html.html
you cant accept negative comments can you , when the majority will says its over priced you will defend it cause she’s your mate ?
Try to have a discussion ,learn that skill
Negative comments I can accept but your comments aren’t negative they’re just plain stupid. And sadly, not being stupid isn’t a skill that you can learn..
Hi everyone!
I appreciate the feedback. I want my ramen to be as affordable as possible. Mark was right about sourcing ingredients from Japan, it is very expensive. Also i only use the best protiens, so i buy my chicken from natureland 8kd/chicken, and free range duck for 5.25kd. Also we using free range local eggs which are 0.250kd and egg. When you price your menu you factor in your overheads which half the price of the ramen.
This was the best price for our ramen which also has a pricless ingredient; lots and lots of love.
Cheers
a good bowl of ramen in japan is approximately 3-3.5 kd so i am not surprised that it would cost so much especially since you are using such high quality ingredients…all the best…hope to dine at your restaurant soon
Hi Mimi,
Whether you want the price point to be at KD20 or for FREE, it’s your prerogative. Haters gonna hate, regardless. You do you. Keep up the great work!
Much love and respect!
why dont you also sell a smaller bowl for people who can’t afford it . you could call it a mini ?
Im sure i can’t make ramen as good as urs.
Sorry for my negative comment.
I really want ppl to eat homemade food. It’s a bliss to be kuwaiti and have 3 meals prepared for me if i wanted. Thing is kuwaities think we r time limited, i simply disagree, time spent in preparing ur own food is well invested minutes.
I pay KD5 for a burger and/or sushi roll but nothing can beat a homemade machboos w/ daqoos..
All the best
I just check my favorite Ramen place in NYC which is IVAN and there price is 14$ ,, so you are aligned! Well done.👍🏻
U cant beat that for hangovers
5 kd for a bowl of ramen ? so what if its mimi and her rich friends ? arirang makes a good bowl of ramen . stop shilling for your friends mark . The costliest ramen in japan wont be more than 2kd
The ingredients to make the ramen bowl are available locally in japan, while the same ingredients have to be imported to Kuwait from Japan.
Thats also why the price of a gallon of fuel in Japan costs 1.27kd but it costs just 400fils in Kuwait.
A better example would be to compare the price of a ramen bowl at tampopo with other ramen bowls in Kuwait. At St Al Makan a bowl of ramen costs 4.5kd, how much does it cost at Arirang? 4kd? Breakdown the ingredients and you’ll find out why it costs 250fils more at Tampopo. For example, she makes the noodles fresh herself while they’re made from a packet at Arirang and Al Makan.
Its not 4kd , its 3.5 . Even if they are imported and hand made . I’ll break down the costs it won’t cost 5kd for her to make it .She has a minimum of 2kd profit margin on each bowl . Its basically noodles in broth . I am sure you and the high class people will say its justified and also the new habba so everyone is just lining up . I’d rather pay 4kd for a pizza at solo .
So just to be clear, your issue is that she is charging 4.750 for her bowl of ramen while Arirang (which is a pretty crappy place tbh) is charging kd3.5 for theirs? What would make you happy in this situation? You want her to price her ramen to match that of arirang? So instead of making the noodles fresh her self, for example, you want her to use premade noodles from a packet? Do you have any other strategic decisions you want me to pass on to her? Anything else in the ramen bowl you want her to change to bring the price down to match your gold standard Arirang?
I’m so glad I don’t own a restaurant cuz I’d definitely be the soup nazi. Just what I would want in my life, random anonymous people with their only experience in the food industry being the fact that they know how to use carriage criticize my food and business online without trying it and then give me advice on how i should change it. There is no way I’m ever opening a restaurant…
Not sure if u are aware of this but usually restaurants factor in the chef and the cost per hour of that chefs time, Mimi has worked in kitchens outside of kuwait and has honed her skill and is renowned for it, should she not be compensated for that?
Vote with your Kd, you don’t like the prices don’t go, simple.
This is a waste of energy on your part and so much unnecessary hate.
Why cant everybody keep it simple?
If you find it expensive or unreasonable, don’t go to the restaurant.
Exactly !
If you find it expensive don’t buy it..
Fortunately I can afford a meal there, I can have 2 meals everyday for the entire month there, but am I going to do it ?
Of course no.. because there are priorities in life more than arguing about a price of a ramen bowl in Kuwait..
You can have a Kabab meal for 1.5Kd and get lentil soup for free.. you want die if you don’t get that ramen bowl which you can’t afford!
Please do share good kabab meal places at KD 1.5 with soup
Mark,
When I was in transit at Abu Dhabi airport, I had a Chinese soup costing me KD 5 and honestly it would make sense because its not only the cost of soup but the location.
The food industry is profitable because they have almost if not at least 100% returns. A 100 fils filafel would have a production cost of 20 fils and likewise.
When people comments about pricing the business should keep a keen ear. KD 5 for a bowl is expensive when you look at it into the contents and the location but all that goes away if you want your customers to be above a certain pay grade then yes else one would have every other person visiting the place. I am not sure whats they want the customer base to be which is something the restaurant would have to decide.
Just disgusting 🤮🤮
what is?
Come now everyone…let’s calm down a bit with the pricing discussion! It’s all subjective anyway. If you don’t like ramen, paying 250 fils for a bowl is too much, but if you do, then like Mark said, you have a handful of choices and when comparing the quality of ingredients, Mimi’s is not expensive. These days, things in Kuwait are getting very expensive anyway and a KD is not what it used to be.
If you like ramen, try it out, I’d suggest the duck. Very tasty although I expected the broth to be more clear miso soup based, but it was very dense and strong flavoured. Not for all palettes, but then again, I’m no food critic.
I don’t know where you get your miso ramen, but miso ramen is never clear. I don’t know if you’ve had miso before, but spoiler alert, it’s salty. And ramen soup is actually usually quite salty and heavy.
Sometimes when japanese finish their noodles, they would order a bowl of white steamed rice, and have it with the soup, ‘cause the soup is all the savory goodness.
I can’t wait to go tonight!! Hoping it’s not sold out before I get there!
As for comments on pricing… Restaurants that uses all organic protein in their dishes are definitely a minority, but what draws me to this place the most is the fact that the person who owns and runs it is an artisan. If watching a craftsperson passionately create something with love and put it before you absolutely captivates you, then this place is probably for you 🙂
Can’t wait to try it out
Mark is obviously going to support his friends can’t blame him for it.
Overpriced ramen? Make it at home stop, you don’t have to buy.
Can get it cheaper in Japan? Go to Japan and eat it.
Both sides are being crazy. Just chill… It’s a Ramen shop which has it’s audience and they CHOOSE to use those ingredients and they CHOOSE to price it at 5KD. Deal With It.
Sorry guys, I have boycotted restaurants a very long time ago for selling at ridiculously expensive prices – as a matter of fact if you guys join me, we can definitely bring them down back to reality.
check this out, a small cafe opens up near where I work, still doesn’t have much of business, how much is acup of americaon? 1.800KD, WHY?!?!? it’s because we never resist nor argue paying anything.
I blame this on those who do not work hard to earn their pennies but rather depend on their mammas and daddy’s for their masaratis. :<
Yeah except in this case the price isn’t ridiculously expensive so you’re missing out on some delicious ramen.
We went there the other day and they were incredibly rude. I will definitely not be comimg back
Be really careful and think twice to visit this awkwardly horrible place.
Customer service : 0/5 , you actually have to plead the staff to order something. You actually have to beg to enter inside the place. Imagine the service levels.
Place/Ambience : 1/5 , 1 because it has some kind of seating else there’s nothing in particular that you would remember of this place.
Choice : 1/5, Ramen , Joke
Price : Crazily overpriced
You’re a joke. Lol.